Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Wote

For one person, living is cheaper in Wote: $601 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Wote
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Wote Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Wote

🇰🇪 Kenya

$601

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Wote

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Wote actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $601 in Wote, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Wote $601

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,062 in Wote, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Wote $1,062

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,523 in Wote, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Wote $1,523

Medellin costs about 173% more than Wote, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Wote is 56% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$3.01 KES 391

168.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.7K

$34.42 KES 4,468

36.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.0K

$6.48 KES 841

46.60%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,532

$1.50 KES 195

100.67%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 COP 5,688

$0.39 KES 50.7

361.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,465

$0.22 KES 28.50

540.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$2.13 KES 277

49.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$2.33 KES 303

146.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,774

$0.75 KES 97.3

101.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,517

$0.58 KES 74.9

310.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,601

$1.47 KES 191

20.41%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,138

$1.35 KES 175

114.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$4.74 KES 615

114.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$5.99 KES 777

64.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.2K

$5.63 KES 730

148.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$3.33 KES 433

19.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,907

$1.07 KES 139

44.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,901

$2.00 KES 260

9.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,904

$0.61 KES 78.6

257.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,205

$0.56 KES 72.6

250.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,025

$1.09 KES 142

45.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,622

$0.75 KES 97.6

53.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,930

$0.55 KES 72.0

125.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.44 KES 447

15.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$11.40 KES 1,480

20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,247

$2.26 KES 293

-26.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,139

$2.75 KES 357

-17.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,692

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,009

$1.51 KES 196

-15.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,474

$1.51 KES 196

35.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.0K

$2.81 KES 364

204.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,258

$1.53 KES 199

-11.76%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.1K COP 107.7M

$19.1K KES 2.5M

78.76%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.7K COP 109.6M

$21.8K KES 2.8M

58.74%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$170 COP 536.4K

$54.8 KES 7,116

209.47%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$13.55 COP 42.8K

$15.02 KES 1,950

-9.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.7K

$35.15 KES 4,563

-20.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.3K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$7.58 KES 984

-8.84%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$797 COP 2.5M

$154 KES 20.0K

416.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$12.2K KES 1.6M

-25.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 267.8K

$11.68 KES 1,516

625.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.2K

$7.59 KES 985

663.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 426.7K

$19.48 KES 2,529

592.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.4K

$22.94 KES 2,978

326.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$377 KES 49.0K

220.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$191 KES 24.9K

235.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$772 KES 100.2K

162.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$584 KES 75.8K

73.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

14.71

-25.63%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Wote: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Wote

$191 31.9% 70.2% $450

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Wote

$173 28.8% 41.8% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Wote

$105 17.5% 50.3% $106

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Wote

$79 13.2% 53.2% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Wote

$28 4.6% 83.6% $141

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Wote

$9.1 * 1.5% 90.3% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Wote

$15 * 2.5% 73.6% $42

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $377 in Wote. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $34 in Wote. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $173 – making Wote the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇰🇪 Wote

🕒 Local time

15:24 3:24 PM

23:24 11:24 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

19,725

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.91 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,162 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.91 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Wote 12,600 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Wote

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Medellin vs Wote: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 173%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $901 in Wote. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Wote, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $377 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $34 in Wote. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 72% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Wote, where all-in costs run around $601, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Wote it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Wote – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.